Raspberries, Kits, and Magic Tricks
by Taline
Summary: What happens when Munkustrap has to kitten-sit during a storm? Dedicated to my guys in the CATS Nat'l Tour V.


             The sky was overcast and cloudy, threatening to pour down torrents of rain at any moment. A pair of silvery ears pricked themselves around as the owner of the ears studied the sky and the junkyard around him. He inhaled slowly, picking up a familiar smell of a kitten nearby. He searched with his eyes, but he couldn't find him, so he crept out into the piles of trash, crawling over several boards and bottles, to find a huddled heap of what appeared to be a scrawny, orange, gray, and white kitten. He nudged the kitten delicately with one foot. The kitten flipped over and looked up at him. Just as he suspected. It was little Pouncival. "Hey, Pounce. It's getting dark outside. You should get home, where it's warm and not going to rain."

             Pouncival stared up at him with shy, nervous eyes. "I…"

             Munkustrap smiled down at him. "It's going to storm something fierce."

             Pouncival's pretty, large eyes filled with sudden tears. "I… I'll be fine here, Munkustrap," he said softly, curling into a tight ball on whatever he was laying on.

             Munkustrap stared down at him. "Don't be silly, Pouncival. You'll get blown away in a storm. I'll walk you home. Come on."

             Pouncival stared meekly up at him and shook his head. Munkustrap raised a brow. "What's wrong?"

             A sudden figure popped his head over a trash pile next to them. "He hasn't got a home, Munkustrap." The red and brown striped tom slid down the pile and landed next to the mottled kitten. Red triangle ears laid flat against his head in concern as he rubbed a paw down the kitten's back.

             "He… he doesn't?" Munkustrap asked in surprise. He could have sworn he knew where everyone lived like the back of his paw, but now he wasn't so sure. "How do you know, Mungojerrie?"

             Not much older than the homeless kitten himself, Mungojerrie ruffled his fur indignantly in a show of mock reproach. "He's my best friend. I think I'd know whether he's got a place to stay at night or not."

             He had a point. The pair seemed almost inseparable whenever they were together in the junkyard. Munkustrap nodded. "Well, can he come stay with you and Teazer until the storm's over?"

             Mungojerrie shook his dark head. "Uh uh. Our pets are on vacation. Teazer's staying with Victoria, and she ain't too happy about it neither. I've been staying here with Pounce for a week now."

             Munkustrap sighed. "Oh dear…" He glanced up again at the sky, which was growing darker by the second. "I… I suppose you two could come stay at my house, just until the storm is over…"

             "Could we?" Pouncival asked eagerly, sitting up, his head pressing underneath Mungojerrie's chin.

             Munkustrap nodded slowly. "Yes, as long as you two behave yourselves! My pets have a nice home, and they don't want it destroyed." He gazed sternly at the two kittens. "I know you two are troublemakers together."

             The two kittens exchanged silly glances, then looked back at Munkustrap with innocent eyes. "We'll be good, Munkustrap. We promise," Pouncival said, his tail swishing amiably.

             Munkustrap nodded. "All right, all right… Let's go."

             "Can I go too?" came a sudden voice. A patched cat suddenly poked his head over a nearby box and cocked his head pleadingly.

             "Tumblebrutus!" Munkustrap scolded. "Were you eavesdropping?"

             Tumble rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Of course not. I was just listening to everything you said."

             Munkustrap sighed huffily. "Don't you have a home?"

             Tumble tilted his neck slightly to show that his black and silver collar he had worn for so long was now gone. "They moved a few days ago. Left me behind." He climbed down the pile and stared up at Munkustrap with remorseful eyes, giving his half-brother, Pouncival, a slight shove back with one hind foot. Pouncival squeaked as he rolled head over heels, landing upside down in front of Mungojerrie.

             Munkustrap sighed again. He couldn't just leave the kitten alone here, especially when he had offered his home to the other ones. "All right, you can come too. But I don't want any fooling around, especially between you two." He glared slightly. Pouncival and Tumblebrutus both had the same father, which made them half-brothers, and they acted it all the time. There was hardly any time when they were not bickering or trying to outdo the other.

             Pouncival and Tumble exchanged vicious glances, but they nodded. Munkustrap nodded and glanced up at the sky again. "Let's go, you three." He gave his three charges a nudge, and they all trailed him. Munkustrap glanced back at them and prayed that his pets were not home. The last thing he needed was them to see him coming home with three kittens following behind him, especially three of the mischievous nature.

             Tumble snagged Pouncival's tail and gave it a yank. Pouncival hissed and swiped at the other kitten, and they ended in a tumbling, nipping, hissing, squalling heap. Munkustrap turned around and hissed. "You two, stop!"

             They heeded no warning, tumbling right into Mungojerrie. Jerrie hissed and joined the fracas, catching Tumble's tail in his mouth. Munkustrap growled and circled them. "You three! Knock it off now! Stop it! Mungojerrie, let go of him! Pouncival, don't do that! Tumblebrutus, behave yourself!" None of them listened.

             Zap! A bolt of light came out of nowhere and landed inches from the tussling group. They shrieked and scattered. Munkustrap looked around as a tiny, black and white kitten peered around a trashcan with wide, scared eyes. "Oops."

             Munkustrap couldn't help smiling. "Was that you, Mistoffelees?"

             The kitten nodded. "Yeah. I was working on my magical thunder cloud trick, and it got away from me."

             Munkustrap looked up at the sky again. "Misto, you should be at home, not playing around with lightening in a storm."

             Misto looked up sadly at Munkustrap with large eyes. "I… I can't."

             "Why not?"

             Misto's pretty eyes clouded with tears. "They have a new baby… I don't wanna go back there."

             Munkustrap nodded. He knew what that was like. No cat wanted to be in a home with a new baby. They demanded all the time and attention, and they were dangerous to a cat's health, with grabbing hands that never let go. "Well…" He studied the kitten carefully. Of the other three cats, Misto was definitely the best behaved. Although he was the second youngest, second only to Pouncival, he was very quiet and shy, even though when he was doing his magic he became more like a rambunctious teenager. But he was sure to be good. "You come with me and the other three. We're going to stay at my house until the storm's over. You're welcome to stay with me too."

             Misto's whole face lit up. "I can?"

             Munkustrap nodded. "Let me go see where those other three vanished off to, and we'll go."

             Mungojerrie peered around a trashcan in a nearby alley. Pouncival peered around it too, Jerrie's tail draped over his head. Tumblebrutus slowly emerged from a box, his eyes searching cautiously. Munkustrap motioned for them to come back over. "Come on, you three. It's only Mistoffelees. We need to get home." He was rewarded with a raindrop falling right on his head. His ears flattered against his skull at the sudden cold. Raindrops started to fall, slowly at first. The kittens yelped and scuttled close to Munkustrap, trying to burrow under him to protect themselves from raindrops.

             Munkustrap took off down the street. "Come on, you four. Let's move." They raced after him, Pouncival trying to run between the raindrops but only succeeding in making himself more wet. Misto ran close to Munkustrap, half shielded by the tiger tabby's larger frame.

             Munkustrap turned down a pretty street that housed large, expensive homes. Mungojerrie's eyes seemed to light up as he studied them as they ran past, imagining all the cool, expensive, easily breakable stuff they must have inside.

             Munkustrap led them around to the back door of a large, white home. A cat door flapped in the wind that had come up. Pouncival leaped forward to dash through the leather flap, but Munkustrap grabbed his tail and hauled him back. "Before you all go in there, I want to make a few things clear. You are here to stay just until the storm is over. I don't want you all running around the house, breaking stuff. I'll be in enough trouble just bringing you all here. You stay where I can see each and every one of you, all right?"

             The four nodded, the wind whipping over them, sending their fur into disarray. Tiny, little Pouncival, the lightest of all of them, went tumbling backwards, almost knocking Mungojerrie down the steps. Munkustrap pulled them back up by the scruff, giving Misto a nudge with a foot to go inside. He pushed Mungojerrie in next. Tumble and Pounce both tried to squeeze through the cat door at once and got stuck, their front ends swiping at each other, their back ends kicking and flailing as they tried to be the first one in. "Oh for Heavyside's sake!" Munkustrap hissed, hauling Pouncival out and giving Tumble a push inside. Pouncival looked crestfallen that Tumble had been let in first, until Munkustrap lifted him up and pushed him inside. He landed on the tile, kitchen floor, staring around him at all the cool things he had never seen before. A moment later, Munkustrap stepped over him. "Come on."

             Pouncival trailed Munkustrap, batting at his tail as he went. Munkustrap headed into the living room, grateful that his pets did not appear to be home. Pouncival suddenly bounded right over his head, landing in front of the 56" TV with wide eyes. "What's this?"

             "A television set," Munkustrap said impatiently, looking around for the other three kittens that had disappeared somewhere. He spotted Tumblebrutus' tail poking out from under the sofa and gave it a pull, revealing the whole kitten, a dust bunny firmly clamped between his teeth. "Tumblebrutus, where's Mungojerrie and Mistoffelees?"

             Tumble pointed across the room to a footstool with a drape that covered the floor. Munkustrap headed for it as Tumble spat the dust bunny into the air and swiped at it. Munkustrap peered under the footstool drape and saw two pairs of eyes glowing back at him. "You two get out here now!"

             Mungojerrie sheepishly came out, shaking his fur and scattering water droplets all over the furniture, Munkustrap, and little Misto, who had just emerged as well, his normally black fur streaked gray with dust. He sneezed indignantly and lifted one paw, starting to groom himself.

             Pouncival, meanwhile, was up on his hind legs, batting at a goldfish in a tank on the coffee table. Munkustrap bounded over to him and pulled him down. "Leave that alone!"

             "But I want that!" Pouncival protested. "It's pretty."

             "You can look at it all you want, but no touching!"

             "But it's pretty!"

             "And tasty," Tumble said, appearing at his side and looking up at the fish with hungry eyes.

             "Don't even think about it!" Munkustrap hissed. "You do not eat my pets' fish! If you're hungry, there's cat food in the kitchen."

             A sudden crash from the piano of about twenty different keys being hit at once distracted him, and he rushed over to find a broken vase laying all over the piano. A furry face peered over the edge of the stairs above it. "Oops."

             "Mungojerrie! Get down here!" Munkustrap stared at the pieces of the expensive vase. _My pets are going to kill me…_

             SPLASH! Munkustrap turned just in time to see the family goldfish fly through the air, sent there by Tumble's paw. Pouncival caught it as it landed on the floor and began to bat it across the wooden surface. Munkustrap yelped and raced over to them. "No! Pouncival, bring that back here! It's gonna die!"

             "Then we can eat it!" Tumble crowed, racing after Pouncival. Munkustrap was faster, leaping over him and batting the gasping fish away from Pouncival. He picked it up in his mouth and carried it back over to the fishbowl that only had half the water it normally did, the other half soaking the magazines that were on the table. He dropped the fish inside and watched as it lay still for a moment, then began to swim around in stunned circles. He sighed. Well, it was alive…

             He glanced over his shoulder to try to find Mistoffelees. He almost melted with relief to see the little kitten sitting on the couch, cleaning his dusty fur as elegantly as possible, his shiny, black paw moving deftly over his sparkly ears. Munkustrap smiled. Why couldn't they all be that good?

             "Whee!" came a yell from the dining room. He rushed into it and looked around. Where was Pouncival? He looked up then closed his eyes weakly. He wasn't… But he was… The tiny kitten waved one paw at him from the top of the fine lace drapes where he was precariously hanging.

             "Pouncival! Get down this instant!"

             Pouncival responded by giving him a loud, wet raspberry. "Can't get me!" he crowed triumphantly.

             He had a point. Unless Munkustrap climbed the drapes himself, he couldn't reach the tiny kitten. And the drapes, although pretty, were definitely not thick enough to support a full-grown tomcat like him. He groaned, a headache forming right between his eyes. "Get down here right now! You're going to get hurt!"

             "Not me!" Pouncival said, grinning down at him and climbing an inch higher. "Hey, Jerrie! Tumble! Misto! You guys gotta come try this!"

             "No you don't!" Munkustrap yelled, but he was too late. Tumble and Jerrie had already clambered to the top next to Pouncival. Munkustrap stared up at the three kittens hanging on the expensive, delicate, lace drapes, praying his pets wouldn't be home any time soon. "You three get down here this minute!"

             None of them listened. Munkustrap groaned just as Misto padded to his side and sat down, staring up at the dangling kittens. "What are they doing?"

             "Being naughty," Munkustrap growled. "I don't know why they all can't be as well-behaved as you, Mistoffelees."

             Misto smiled brightly. "Am I good?"

             Munkustrap nodded. "Yes, you are." Misto beamed. "You three get down right now!"

             He was rewarded with three tongues sticking out at him. He sighed. Why was it so much easier to control them all when they were in the junkyard?

             "Misto, come up here with us!" Pouncival said, changing positions so his head was downwards, a rather precarious position on the unstable drapes.

             Misto looked up disdainfully. "I don't climb drapes…"

             Pouncival pouted. "You're no fun."

             "You three get down here this instant!" Munkustrap yelled angrily.

             "Not a chance!" Tumble yelled back.

             Munkustrap groaned. "I give up." He turned and stalked into the living room, Misto at his heels.

             All of a sudden, Pouncival came sliding down the drapes, shredding them with his claws as he fell, landing hard on the floor with a hiss. He raced after them, leaping up on the sofa next to Misto who was back at his grooming. "Come on, Misto. Come play."

             "I'm being good," Misto commented, sitting up to groom his chest with his soft, pink tongue.

             "You're being boring. Come on…" Pouncival whined. He gave Misto a soft nudge. Misto glared, his pretty eyes narrowed in agitation. "Come on." Pouncival gave a playful bounce.

             "Stop it," Misto said, huffing indignantly and shaking his shiny coat out.

             Pouncival glowered. He swatted Misto's sparkly ear with a paw, a shower of glitter filling the air. He wrinkled his nose and sneezed.

             Misto hissed at him. "Don't touch me!"

             Pouncival's eyes lit up. He grinned mischievously and raised a paw, touching one paw pad lightly to Misto's shoulder. "Touch!" He turned and dashed for the dining room.

             Misto hissed. He was not one to let a challenge go. He leaped down off the sofa and raced after Pouncival. "Come back here!"

             Pouncival grinned at him from his spot up on the drapes again, where he, Jerrie, and Tumble all made faces at him. Undaunted, Misto suddenly hit Pouncival with a sudden blast of blue light that surrounded the kitten's body and yanked him off the drapes, leaving the kitten dangling almost ten feet off the ground in midair. "Hey!" Pouncival yelled, clawing frantically at nothing, trying to find a foothold of some kind.

             "That's what you get!" Misto yelled up at him, his paws easily holding the kitten in place. Pouncival hissed at him, then screamed in terror as he fell several feet before Misto's magic caught him again.

             "You're gonna hurt him!" Mungojerrie yelled from his spot while next to him Tumble laughed at his half-brother.

             "Am not!" Misto yelled back, sounding less and less like the dignified, prim creature he usually was.

             "Mistoffelees! Put him down!" Munkustrap commanded. Tumble and Jerrie landed next to Munkustrap, glaring at the tuxedoed kitten. Misto sighed and lowered Pouncival to the ground, the blue light disappearing.

             Pouncival sat on the floor, dazed, shaking his head to clear it. Misto licked a paw delicately, as if nothing had happened. Pouncival looked up and him and hissed. "You-." He leaped at Misto, claws outstretched to attack him. Misto threw up his paws in defense. Munkustrap leaped to grab Pouncival. The next few seconds seemed to pass like lightening. Pouncival landed hard on Misto, who let out a squeak of pain. At the same time, a burst of white light erupted from Misto's paws, enveloping all five of the cats. A wind whistled past their ears, their sensitive eyes blinded by the light. A moment later, Mistoffelees felt pavement against his back and looked around as the light faded. They were back in the junkyard. A light mist of rain coated their fur. Stars twinkled like diamonds between patches of clouds that still marred the sky.

             Pouncival rolled off of Misto and looked around. "We… we're back…"

             "That you are," came a soft, deep voice from behind them. The five turned to see Old Deuteronomy perched on the tire, his wise, old eyes gazing down at the kittens and his second in command as if it was an every day occurrence to have cats appear in front of him from nowhere. "Where have you five been during this nasty weather?"

             "We… We were at Munkustrap's house," Tumble ventured meekly.

             "Oh, that was nice of him to share his home with you. I hope that you all behaved yourselves?"

             The kittens exchanged glances. "Well, uh…"

             Old Deuteronomy looked at Munkustrap. "Well, sir… they… they weren't exactly on their best behavior…"

             Old D nodded, as if he knew that answer was coming. "I would have been surprised if they were." He studied the kittens with dark eyes. "So, what do you suppose we do with them?"

             The four kittens' eyes went wide. "But… but we didn't do anything!" Misto protested.

             Munkustrap opened his mouth to correct him, but Old D shushed him with a wave of his hand. "You four can't really get along all that well without some sort of squabble, can you?" The four exchanged glances. "I'll take that as a no… So, I think it will do you some good to spend some quality time together. All together."

 ^--^

             … "You're on my foot!" Mungojerrie whined.

             "_My_ foot," Pouncival corrected.

             "Ouch! Something hit me!"

             "Will you stop squirming?"

             Life was crowded in the little two by two cardboard box for the four kittens. There wasn't enough room for them all to lie down, and tempers were short as the four tried to get comfy without touching or squashing the others. Mistoffelees had promptly curled up and gone to sleep, until Mungojerrie had stepped on his tail and awoken him. Now the offended tail was curled securely around him to protect it from further injury.

             Pouncival scratched at his ear, almost knocking over his older half brother in the process. "Pouncival, you got fleas!" Tumble teased.

             "Do not!" Pouncival hissed back, which resulted in what would have been a pouncing match, had they been able to move.

             "Knock it off, you four," Munkustrap said as he passed by them on his way to find Alonzo.

 All he got was a loud, wet raspberry from all of them, even Mistoffelees.

** The End**


End file.
